Motor-vehicle.



PATENTED DEG..12, 1905.

T; STAFFORD. MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILET A-PB.5, 1905.

' UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

TERRY STAFFORD, OFTOPEKA, KANSAS, A SSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO L. ANTON SMITH AND CLEMENT SMITH, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

moron- E ICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5. Huld'Sarial No. 254,014.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, TERRY STAFFORD a citizen of the Upited States, residing at Topeka,

in the county of Shawnee and Stateof Kansas, have invented-r w and usefulImprove ments in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following isa specification' My invention pertains to motor-vehicles; and it contemplates constructing and arranging the means for transmitting -motion' from an explosive or other motor to the rear axle in such manner that it lessens the friction and strain upon the universal joints commonly used, prevents binding of moving parts with a view of obtaininggreater efliciency from the motor, and does away with the necessity of all rods or other. supports to prevent the .tendency of the power-applying pinion to cause the outer axle-casing to turn in the opposite direction from that in which the axle revolves. v

Other advantageous features of the inven-.' tion will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in. connection with the accompanying drawings,

' forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a-broken plan view of' so much of a motor-vehicle as is necessary to illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. '2 is an enlarged detail section illustrative ofv the relative arrangement of the ball and socket of my improvements and the shaft journaled in the ball, andFig. 3 is adetail section taken at right angles to Fig. 2 and in the plane indicated by theline-3 3 of said figure.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which A is a portion of the main frame of a motorvehicle.

B B are the sections of the rear axle.

C Care springs arranged on and connected to the said sections and designed to be connected with the rear portion of the main frame in the conventional or any other approved" manner.

D is a casing connected to the axle-sections B and designed to,contain th'e gearing (not shown) for transmitting motion to the said sections. Y

is a tube designed to contain a shaftF (see dotted lines in Fig. 1) for transmitting motion to the said gearing.

transmission-gear connected with the shaft F, and H is a shaft designed to be connected with the said transmission-gear and extending forwardly from the case G.

posed between and rigidly connected to the casings D and G.

I is a socket connected and fixed with respect to the forward portion of the main frame A, and J is a ball fixed with respect to and forming a continuation of the case G and arranged and movable in the said socket and having'a diametrical bore K, Fig. 2. The

K in the bore and is equipped in front of the ball with two universal joints 6 or other suitengine or other motor, which I have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate.

The connections between the tube E an the casings D and G are ri id connections, and from this it follows thatt e transmissiongear in the casing Gr is adapted to serve to hold the gears to their work by preventing gear is made a part of the axle, which obviates the necessity of transmitting the multiplied strain of thehill-climbing gear through knuckle-joints to the axle, because the knucklejoints being between the engine and the transmission-gear they never have more power to transmit than the direct power'of the motor.

chinery is inclosed in a dust-tight casing; that the rear .axle is heldin place and against twisting or torsion when power is applied; that the disposition of the ballJ in the soc *t kinds of spring a'ction, while retaining the said axle in its place and transmitting the push of driving to the front portion of the main frame A, and that the construction as a time neat in appearance.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts included in the present embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the said spetorsion of the axle, also that the transmission- Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

G is a case designed to contain a suitable As shown in Fig. 1, the tube E is inter--' shaft H extends through and is journaled in the said bore K of the ball J or in a bushing able means for connectingit with an explosive- It will'also be observed that all of the ma- I allows free motion to the rear axle for all .yvhole is compact and durable and at the same ment of my invention in order to impart'a definite understanding of. the said embodicific construction and relative arrangeinentof parts, as such changes or modificationsmay be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, .s

1. In a motor-vehicle, the combination-of a frame, a rear axleconnected with the frame,

a gear-case connected with the rear axle, a socket carried by the. forward portion of the frame, a bail complementary to said socket arranged and movable therein and having a bore-a transmission-gear case fixed with respect to the ball, a shaft connecting the gearing in the two cases, a tube interposed between and connected to the two cases and inclosing the said shaft, and a shaft connected with thegear in the second-mentioned case and jourin the bore of the bail and provided in. front of said bail with. means, whereby the 3. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a I ceases .frame,a transmission-gear case, a socket carried by the forward portion of the frame, a

ball fixed with respect tozsaid gear-case and arranged and movable in the latter, and havinga bore, and a shaft connected with the gear in the case and journaled in the bore of the bailand. provided, in front of the bail,

with 'means for connecting it with a motor.

4. .In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a rear axle, a casing containing the same, a tube connected to and extending forwardly from said casing, and a transmission-gear case connected to the forward portion of the tube.

5. In a motor-vehicle, the combination'of a frame, a socket carried thereby, a ball complementary to said socket, a gear-case fixed with respect tothe ball, and a power-transmitting shaft journaled' in the balland the gear-case. i

in a motor-vehicle, the combination of a rearaxie, a casing containing the same, a tube connected -to and extending forwardly from said casing, a transmission-gear case connected to the-forward portion of the tube, transmission-gearmg arranged in said case and connected with the 'rear axle, and a universal joint'connection for connecting'the transmiss1on-gear1ngw1th a motor.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

1 TERRY STAFFORD. Witnesses:

L. H. GREENWOOD, A..W. GREENWOOD. 

